𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐋 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑, jj maybank¹

𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗋𝗍𝗒-𝗈𝗇𝖾

𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐋 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑    /    𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗋𝗍𝗒-𝗈𝗇𝖾
❛ enough of this emotional shit. get in the cat's
ass. come on. ❜

LATER ON IN THE NIGHT, Stella, Pope and Kiara arrived at the Château. Stella was still pretty shaken up by what had happened and still worried for JJ, but she also went out to help Pope and Kie gather supplies for the pulley system.

"Gotta be done before my scholarship interview in the morning." Pope pulls up outside the Château and parks the truck.

"Okay, well, we gotta focus."

"I know. It's gonna be fine. We got John B and JJ inside the well, and me up top. You, Sarah and Stell will be outside transporting." Stella and Kiara climb out of the car. She was on auto-pilot and everything went right over her head.

"Yeah, we got this."

"Cool. Uh, I got a winch."

"Yeah."

Kiara opens the tailgate. "That tin can hold over, like... two hundred, three hundred pounds."

"Thanks." Kie smiles.

"Uh, what for?"

"Standing us. You know, making us make up."

"What makes you think that was me?" A whirling noise cuts their conversation short and the yard lights up with neon lights. "What the hell?"

Stella glances around at her front yard. "What the fuck?"

"Who the hell is that?" The three follow the lights to the back of the house to see JJ sitting in a bubbling hot tub.

"What did you do, JJ?" Pope said.

Stella's eyes scan over the yard and the hot tub, questioning all of it in her head.

JJ pops the bottle of champagne and pushes his shades down the bridge of his nose. "I got a jet going straight in my butt right now." He laughs. "Y'all should get in immediately, you hear me?" He attempts to pour his bubbling gold liquid into his cup but spills it as he was clearly drunk. "Salud!" He raises the bottle and drinks.

"How much did this cost?" Pope asks as JJ downs the rest of the alcoholic beverage in the bottle.

"Uh... well, with the generator, the petrol, and oh, hey, express delivery... pretty much all of it, yeah." He chuckles.

Pope gapes at him. "All of it?"

"Yeah, all of it."

"You spent all the money in one day?" Pope asks, appalled that the boy spend twenty-five grand like it was nothing.

JJ nods. "Yeah, burned a hole right through my pocket. But, I mean, like, come on, guys, look at this!" He looks around at his hot tub and raises his hands in excitement. "Finest in jet-based massage therapy, that's what they told me." Stella looks at him, shaking her head. "Stell, what? Can't a man have a little luxury in life?" He takes his shades off. "Come on, all this scrimpin' and scrapin'... I mean, like... guys, we— You only live once, right?" He pauses and looks at his friends. "Enough of this emotional shit. Get in the Cat's Ass. Come on."

"In the what?" Kiara asked.

"In the Cat's Ass." JJ snickered. "That's what I named her. Oh, hey, yo, I almost forgot." He clicked a button on the hot tub and it lights up while a hanging disco ball above it starts spinning. "Huh? Yeah, that's right, I know. Disco mode. That's right, baby!"

"Are you kidding me? You could have payed for restitution!" Pope yells, slowly growing angrier.

Stella thought he would have spent the money on the restitution... clearly not.

"Or literally given it to any charity!" Kie snapped.

JJ rubs his temple annoyedly. "Or better yet, you could have helped us buy supplies to get the rest of the gold out of the well!"

Stella opens her mouth to argue against her friends but words are lost on her when JJ rises to his feet. She stares at his chest and abdomen. They catch on the purple and black coloring or his skin. Her body feels heavy and her lungs feel deprived of air. Tears sting her eyes as she watches him stand in the colored lights, showing his pain and broken pieces to her and their friends.

"Okay, well, you know what? I didn't do that! I got a hot tub! For my friends. I got a hot tub for my friends. You know what? No, you know what? Screw friends. I got a hot tub for my family. For the people that I love." He points to Stella. "For the girl that I love!"

Stella's lip quivers. "JJ..."

"I got this for you. Stella, guys, look what I did for you! All right?" JJ turns around and Stella can see more discoloring on his back. "Look at this! Look at this!"

Stella lets out one sob and her hand covers her mouth. "JJ."

"No, you stop being emotional. It's fine, okay? I mean it's sweet, right? Everything—"

Stella moves her body froward and practically bolts toward him. She climbs into the hot tub and her arms fly around his neck. At her warm touch, JJ bursts into tears and sobs. His head falls to the crook of her neck and his arm rests around her waist. "I just couldn't do it." His sob ripples through both of them and he pulls her closer. "I can't take him anymore! I was gonna kill him."

Stella's heart breaks at the sound of his cries. Now, her tears are streaming down her face and she kisses his shoulder. "It's okay, J. I got you. I'm here."

Pope and Kiara race forward, both wrapping their arms around the two. "I just wanna do the right thing." JJ cries.

"I know. I know."

KAY SPEAKS !
this scene always breaks my heart.